Introduction to Chateauneuf-du-Pape

671km (417 miles) S of Paris; 19km (12 miles) N of Avignon; 13km (8 miles) S of Orange

Near Provence's north border, the Château-du-Pape was built as the Castelgandolfo, the country seat of the French popes of Avignon, during the 14th-century reign of Pope John XXII. Now in ruins, it overlooks the vast acres of vineyards planted by the popes, the start of a regional industry that today produces some of the world's best reds as well as an excellent white.